Kratom, is a psychoactive plant that has been used as a herbal medicine and traditional medical herb in some parts of Southeast Asia since thousands of years ago. Various studies reveal that kratom has become part of the crops consumed by people especially those who settled in southern Thailand and northern Malaysia for centuries ago. Kratom is classified as one of the coffee plants that can produce important substance like caffeine. This is a tropical plant that grows up to 4 to 16 meters (depend on the condition of the soil) and many people use the leaves as tea.

How does it work?

Kratom can act as a stimulant and help improve focus. While for high-dose use, kratom can be a sedative that produces an anti-pain effect like opium. This sedative effect can be used to, gradually, eliminate dependence on drugs. Kratom has a slower way of working and the tranquilizers contained in it have lower doses than narcotic plants like cannabis.

A positive experience of a substance will always have a negative experience that accompanies it. But the ratio of the effect of good and bad experiences of kratom is somewhat smaller than marijuana, heroin, cocaine, let alone alcohol. However, the use of these drugs is under the watchful eye of doctors and narcotics departments. Kratom can still be used as an alternative medicine although currently the legality of this plant is still a debate.

Alternative for “drugs”

Now many drug users in the United States began to use kratom. Some people choose kratom because kratom is an effective medicine to relieve pain and reduce anxiety; effects that often arise when a person wants to stop using narcotics. The narcotic patients started using kratom because they had bad side effects from prescription drugs. The medication given to a narcotic patient will usually keep the patient asleep most of the time. These effects will interfere with the patient’s life. They will spend more of their time at home without doing anything; something that is not very effective. This effect causes some patients to switch to using kratom. Kratom does not have an excessive effect so that the patient can still perform activities as usual. kratom can actually increase the patient’s spirit to do more positive things that can accelerate the healing process of drug addiction. The use of kratom as a supplement that can be an alternative to overcome addiction from narcotics or certain drugs require patients to consult a doctor and get permission for it.